. But the bill disappeared. I never
knew where it went. The man whipped up his horse and also disappeared.
I never knew where he went.

My "Fool Drawer"

I grew older and people began to notice that I was naturally bright and
therefore good picking. They began to let me in on the ground floor.
Did anybody ever let you in on the ground floor? I never could stick.
Whenever anybody let me in on the ground floor it seemed like I would
always slide on thru and land in the cellar.

I used to have a drawer in my desk I called my "fool drawer." I kept my
investments in it. I mean, the investments I did not have to lock up.
You get the pathos of that--the investments nobody wanted to steal. And
whenever I would get unduly inflated I would open that drawer and "view
the remains."

I had in that drawer the deed to my Oklahoma corner-lots. Those lots
were going to double next week. But they did not double I doubled. They
still exist on the blueprint and the Oklahoma metropolis on paper is
yet a wide place in the road.

I had in that drawer my deed to my rubber plantation. Did you ever hear
of a rubber plantation in Central America? That was mine. I had there
my oil propositions. What a difference, I have learned, between an oil
proposition and an oil well! The learning has been very expensive.

I used to wonder how I ever could spend my income. I do not wonder now.
I wonder how I will make it.

I had in that drawer my "Everglade" farm. Did you ever hear of the
"Everglades"? I have an alligator ranch there. It is below the
frost-line, also below the water-line. I will sell it by the gallon.

I had also a bale of mining stock. I had stock in gold mines and silver
mines. Nobody knows how much mining stock I have owned. Nobody could
know while I kept that drawer shut. As I looked over my gold and silver
mine stock, I often noticed that it was printed in green. I used to
wonder why they printed it in green--wonder if they wanted it to
harmonize with me! And I would realize I had so much to live for--the
dividends. I have been so near the dividends I could smell them. Only
one more assessment, then we will cut the melon! I have heard that all
my life and never got a piece of the rind.

Getting "Selected"

Why go farther? I am not half done confessing. Each bump only increased
my faith that the next ship would be mine. Good, honest, retired
ministers would come periodically and sell me stock in some new
enterp